Toyota Pioneer Eiji Toyoda Dies at 100

Long before they were a seemingly invincible monolith responsible for commercial juggernauts like the Corolla and Camry, the Toyota Motor Corporation was a scrappy manufacturer with a bit of an inferiority complex. During the early days, the Japanese manufacturer had so much to learn that founder Kiichiro Toyoda dispatched his cousin Eiji to Ford Motor Company's Rouge Plant in 1950 to learn the ways of efficient mass production, setting in motion a decades-long sequence of events that would forever change the automotive industry.

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Eiji's reign as president of Toyota Motor Co. started in 1967 and lasted 15 years, in which he introduced legendary production methods like "kaizen" (continual product improvement) and led the company on an unprecedented stream of growth. He was also responsible for nothing less than shepherding the expansion of the brand to the United States, and launching the Lexus nameplate, two achievements that would cement Toyota's stature as a global force to be reckoned with. Toyoda served as chairman of the board from 1982 to 1992, and as an honorary chairman until 1999.

Toyoda passed away, fittingly enough, in the hospital which was founded in 1938 for factory workers. He is survived by his son Kanshiro.